12 questions for a club doorman

By PIPER WEISS

Jul 19, 2008 | 9:49 PM

Aalex JulianAGE: 33JOB: Doorman at TenjuneHOURS: At least five hours a night, four nights a weekTIME ON THE JOB: Two years at Tenjune, six years as a door guy

What does it take to man the velvet rope? "The Doorman," which opened on Friday at the Village East Cinemas (Second Ave. at 12th St.), follows the travails of Trevor W. (played by Lucas Akoskin), the gatekeeper of Manhattan's hottest nightclub, and includes cameos by Amy Sacco and Peter Bogdanovich. But while Trevor is a fictional doorman, we found the real thing. Meet Aalex Julian: the gatekeeper of Meatpacking District hot spot Tenjune. To party with the stars, you have to get past him first.

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How did you get your big break?

I used to go to nightclubs with athletes. I knew them in college, before they made their millions. [Through them,] I befriended some of the club owners. Then I started doing private events little by little. At the time I was probably making $600 a week [in real estate]. When I started working at clubs, I was making the same amount per night.

What skills do you need for your job?

Recognition: facial and name. Whether you're a publicist, writer, reporter, celeb, an agent. It's knowing who's who. I have a line of 150 people, and out of the crowd, I have to pick who I need to take care of. Anyone can recognize an A-list actor, but what about those less-recognizable faces? I've trained myself to listen to voices - if 10 people are calling "Aalex! Aalex!" at the top of their lungs, they'll swear they know me. But I listen to voices.

Which voices have you come to recognize?

Someone that travels with Jeter or Michael, I need to know.

How many people do you usually let in at a time?

If there's 100 people, I'll let five in.

Do people get mad when they don't get in?

I've literally gotten followed home at least three or four times over the past year. They always call out that I'm disrespecting them. I try to explain that the list is very limited, but they say that is not good enough.

You must get people pulling out all the stops to get in.

I've been offered $1,000 to get in. But the owners place a lot of trust in me to not let just anyone in.

If $1,000 won't guarantee entry, what will?

I'm always looking to create an environment inside. A beautiful woman's going to help, a well-dressed guy, models, people with good vibes are going to help the room. The best parties that I've been to have always included a little bit of everything. Most of the people I let in, I know to some degree.

Michael Jordan was smoking a cigar outside [one club I was working at]. Meanwhile, people started getting aggressive with me at the door, and some guy put a hand on my shoulder and I threw him off me. He fell over the barricade, and that's when Michael Jordan noticed. So after, he came up to me and said, "I like the toughness, you could have a played on a team with me."

Wow. Were you starstruck?

There's very few people I've been in awe of. He's someone you feel the presence of. I remember asking if he wanted a [private] table, and he said, "No, I'm going to hang at the bar." That's the type of thing that makes a club. You have important people just hanging out, and it makes a lasting impression.

Besides meeting Michael Jordan, what are the perks of your job?

All the fashion houses offer me stuff. When they have sample sales, I'm one of the first people shopping. In a restaurant, someone will send a bottle of wine or take care of the bill. I'm thankful for that.

Is there a downside?

It's difficult for me to go out. I've been in a movie theater, the movie's about to start. And I get a tap on the shoulder and someone says, "You're the guy from Tenjune, you didn't let me in."